What is Campylobacter?

Recent Outbreaks

Jerry Dell Farm Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak: At least 2 people became ill with Campylobacter infections after consuming raw milk produced at Jerry Dell Farm in Freeville, NY.… Continued
Wisconsin School Campylobacter Outbreak: Raw milk was the source of a Campylobacter outbreak among 16 students and adults who attended an event at North Cape Elementary School in Raymond, Wisconsin.… Continued

Campylobacter Consumer Resources… Continued

Campylobacter jejuni (pronounced “camp-e-low-back-ter j-june-eye”) is a bacterium that was first recognized as a cause of human gastrointestinal illness in 1975, but campylobacter-like organisms in the stools of children with diarrhea were described as far back as 1886 (Altekruse, 1999).

Campylobacteriosis, the illness caused by Campylobacter, is a zoonotic emerging infectious disease characterized by diarrhea (often bloody), abdominal pain, malaise, fever, nausea, and vomiting (Chin, 2000). The severity of the disease is variable, but usually people who get campylobacteriosis recover completely within 10 days. For a small number of people, Campylobacter infection may result in long-term health problems. For example, Campylobacter infection is the most common cause of a rare disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome that occurs several weeks after the acute diarrheal illness, and may result in permanent paralysis (Ang et al, 2001; van Doorn et al, 2008).

Campylobacter jejuni is a curved (thus the name,“campy”) gram-negative, microaerophilic, thermophilic rod that grows best at 42°C (107°F) and low oxygen concentrations. These characteristics are adaptations for growth in its normal habitat – the intestines of warm-blooded birds and mammals. Several closely related species with similar characteristics, C. coli, C. fetus, and C. upsalienis, also cause disease in humans, but are responsible for less than one percent of reportedinfections annually (CDC, 2008, May 21).

Active surveillance through FoodNet indicates that there are about 13 cases for each 100,000 persons in the population diagnosed yearly with C. jejuni infection (MMWR, 2009, April 10). In 2009, there were 6,033 reported cases of campylobacteriosis; however the CDC estimates that C. jejuni causes approximately 845,000 illnesses, 8,400 hospitalizations, and 76 deaths in the United States each year, according to a 2011 report.

From 1996-2004, the CDC reported a downward trend in Campylobacter cases (30% decrease); however, from 2005-2008 the estimated incidence of Campylobacter did not change significantly (MMWR, 2009, April 10). The plateau in cases indicates a lack of progress in reducing Campylobacter and other causes of foodborne illness in recent years, which suggests that problems with pathogen contamination continue to persist in our food supply.

The large number of Campylobacter cases are associated with enormous costs for individuals and society as a whole due to medical expenses, lost wages, product recalls, legal costs, and other indirect expenses. Estimates are that each case of campylobacteriosis costs $920 on average due to medical and productivity (lost wages) expenses with an annual total cost of approximately $1 billion (CAST, 1994).

Food is the most common vehicle for the spread of Campylobacter, and chicken is the most common food implicated; however, the source is unknown for more than 50% of campylobacteriosis infections. Contamination of food can occur during animal slaughter and processing when the edible portions come into contact with animal feces. Ingestion of as few as 500 organisms – an amount that can be found in one drop of chicken juice – has been proven to cause human illness (FSIS, 1996; Tauxe et al, 1992). Despite this low infectious dose and the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni in the environment, most cases of Campylobacter infection occur as isolated, sporadic events, and are not usually a part of outbreaks. In 2006, 25 outbreaks were attributed to Campylobacter (MMWR, 2009, June 12). However, very large outbreaks (>1,000 illnesses) of campylobacteriosis have been documented, most often from consumption of contaminated milk or unchlorinated water supplies.

Sources of Campylobacter

Campylobacter is found commonly in a wide variety of healthy domestic and wild animals including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, wild birds, dogs, cats, rodents, and marine mammals. The bacteria usually live in the intestines as part of the animal’s normal flora, and is shed in the feces. Most Campylobacter species do not cause any signs of illness in the animal host, but Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus is one type that may cause abortions in livestock.

Campylobacter can also survive in dairy lagoons, livestock water troughs and stock ponds, lakes, creeks/streams, and mud. The risk factors for Campylobacter persistence in livestock herds are not fully understood. Some have suggested that factors like diet may influence shedding of Campylobacter and other foodborne pathogens, but researchers have not found any clear or consistent evidence that feeding a specific diet such as “grass only” influences carriage rates of Campylobacter in food animals.

Because Campylobacter has so many reservoirs in the environment, food products (especially poultry, beef, and pork) are at-risk of contamination during processing. Raw milk surveys have shown that Campylobacter occurs in about 0.5%to 12% of samples from the bulk tank (Oliver et al, 2005). Campylobacter was the most common pathogen found in raw milk during a survey conducted in the upper Midwest (Jayarao et al, 2001). Campylobacter is readily destroyed by pasteurization of dairy products. Produce may also become contaminated with Campylobacter if exposed to raw meat or poultry products/juices in the kitchen, or if contaminated by animal feces in the fields where raw fruits and vegetables are grown.

A 1998 Consumer Reports study identified Campylobacter in 63% of more than 1000 chickens obtained in grocery stores (Consumers Union, 1998), and other studies have documented Campylobacter contamination on up to 88 percent of chicken carcasses (FSIS, 1996; Tauxe et al, 1992). Any raw poultry – chicken, turkey, duck, goose, game fowl – meat and its juices may contain Campylobacter, including organic and “free range” products. Other identified food vehicles include unpasteurized milk, undercooked meats such as beef, pork, lamb, and livestock offal, and occasionally shellfish, fresh produce, and eggs.

Pet dog and cats also may carry Campylobacter and shed the bacteria in their feces. Companion animals are more likely to be infected with some of the less common species such as Campylobacter upsaliensis (Parsons et al, 2009). Puppies and kittens may be more likely to shed Campylobacter in their feces than adult dogs and cats.

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What is Campylobacter?

Sources of Campylobacter

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